Orangeburg County, SC Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)

Orangeburg County Code § 18-82 sets the specific construction standards that apply in all areas of special flood hazard (Zones A, AE, AH, AO, A1-30, V and VE) once FEMA or the county has provided base flood elevation data under section 18-4 or 18-54. Under subsection (1), new construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure, including manufactured homes, must have its lowest floor elevated no lower than one foot above the base flood elevation, and basements are prohibited outright. If solid perimeter walls are used to raise the structure, flood openings must be installed to automatically equalize hydrostatic pressure, per the elevated-buildings requirements in subsection (4).

Nonresidential buildings face the same one-foot freeboard standard in subsection (2), though they may be dry-floodproofed instead of elevated if a registered engineer or architect certifies the design. C. Code § 40-29-10. Before any of this matters, an applicant must secure a development permit from the local floodplain administrator under section 18-53, showing the 100-year floodplain contour, floodway boundaries, and, after construction, an as-built elevation certification from a registered surveyor or engineer. The floodplain administrator can issue a stop-work order under section 18-55(2) for work proceeding in violation of the chapter, and continuing to work after a stop-work order is a misdemeanor.

An owner who fails to correct a cited violation after a hearing is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable in the court's discretion, and the county can ask FEMA to pursue a Section 1316 National Flood Insurance Act action denying flood insurance to a noncompliant structure. Owners may seek a variance from the county's construction board of appeals under section 18-111, but variances inside a floodway require a FEMA conditional letter of map revision first.